A soldier stands over weapons seized from suspected members of Al Shabaab (file photo).

Garowe — The president of Somalia 's Puntland government has blamed Al Shabaab terrorist group for the killing of Sheikh Abdulkadir Nur Farah, an Islamic scholar renowned across Somalia, Garowe Online reports.

Puntland President Abdirahman Mohamed Farole issued a sorrowful press statement Friday evening in the Puntland capital Garowe , declaring that the man who killed the Islamic scholar is in police custody.

"On behalf of Puntland Government and people, and the Somali people, I hereby send my sincere condolences to the family, relatives and friends of Sheikh Abdulkadir Nur Farah, the Mufti of Puntland, and I pray to Allah to forgive Sheikh Abdulkadir and to grant him Jannah (Heaven)," said President Farole.

"Sheikh Abdulkadir was the leader of the Islamic clergy in Puntland and a renowned and valued Islamic scholar among Somali scholars and across the people of Somalia," President Farole said.

Al Badar masjid in Garowe, where an Islamic leader was killed by terrorists [Feb. 15, 2013]

Continuing, the president said: "Sheikh Abdulkadir was killed by unjust hands at 3:40pm local time, inside Al Badar masjid (mosque) here in Garowe, while he was in the middle of salat (prayer) on a Friday," said the leader of Puntland.

Al Shabaab

The Puntland president identified the Sheikh's killer as Abdirahman Hussein Jama Bile, saying: "There are many witnesses who saw the murder."

The late Sheikh Abdulkadir Nur Farah

President Farole said: "Sheikh Abdulkadir was killed by the bloodthirsty group that works for the Devil and that kills the righteous pious Muslim people, the knowledgeable people, the innocent citizens."

Continuing, the president said: "He [Sheikh Abdulkadir Nur Farah] is the most recent [ killing], but he is not the first, of all the valuable people killed in Somalia, particularly the Islamic scholars. Unjust hands killed Sheikh Ahmed Haji Abdirahman similarly."

President Farole said: "His killing shows that they [Al Shabaab] will not let anyone live. Even the scholars are killed. Look at the unjust killings of Sheikh Ahmed [Haji Abdirahman] and Sheikh Abdulkadir [Nur Farah]. If they [Al Shabaab] believe in Islam, would they kill the Islamic scholars? That is enough to reflect upon. I urge the Somali people to wake up against this enemy of Islam."

Urging calm

The Puntland president called for calm around the state, on a day he termed sorrowful and a time of grief. A national burial will be held for Sheikh Abdulkadir Nur Farah tomorrow morning, the president added.

"I urge the people to be vigilant and to remain calm. I urge the people not to fall for Al Shabaab propaganda, such as 'such and such clan killed him'. Sheikh Abdulkadir Nur Farah was killed by [Ahmed Abdi] Godane [head of Al Shabaab], Godane's colleagues and everyone who is Al Shabaab and Al Qaeda member. Allah will certainly hold them to account for their crimes in the Hereafter and they will be punished in this lifetime. I pray to Allah to bring rapid punishment upon those responsible for killing a scholar of Islam."

Continuing, he said: "Al Shabaab swore to attack Puntland cities. They are responsible for the suicide car bombing in Galkayo on Feb. 11 when 27 persons were wounded including many civilians, and the terrorists were targeting Puntland deputy police commissioner, Gen. Muhiyadin Ahmed Muse, who suffered minor wounds."

Heroes

President Farole praised the young people who chased down the killer, fought him and finally overwhelmed him. The president stated that the killer wounded three young persons as he tried his failed escape attempt, and one of the wounded youth is in critical condition.

"I pray that Allah gives them health and grants them reward for capturing the bloodthirsty criminal," said President Farole.

Puntland resolve and international silence

President Farole vowed that "Puntland government and its people will never tire and will never slow down their effort to secure the nation and to fight the bloodthirsty killers inside cities and outside, wherever they may hide."

President Farole stated that, "in the mountains west of Bossaso, inside Sanaag region, Puntland security forces raided Al Shabaab terrorists yesterday [Feb. 14, 2013], and three terrorists were captured alive and two dead bodies were picked up to be shown to the world."

Continuing, the Puntland leader added: "Puntland is in a heavy war alone and does not receive international assistance, similar to assistance given to southern Somalia. But even if the international community does not assist, Puntland will and must continue to fight terrorism and those bloodthirsty groups lying about Islam, until we achieve victory and we have full confidence to achieve victory, inshallah."

Message for the youth

President Farole urged the people of Puntland "to rise and to strengthen our unity and to fight the enemy in your capacity, because the Government alone cannot fight the enemy." Continuing, the president said: "Particularly I am talking to the youth and the women who know where the evil people live, who hosts them and who works for them."

Prayer for the late Sheikh

The leader of Puntland offer ed words of sol emn prayer fo r the late S heikh Abdulkadir Nur Farah : "May Allah grant him Heaven. Sheikh Abdulkadir was killed by terrorists who lie about the Islamic religion. He and other Islamic scholars in Puntland, southern Somalia, northern Somalia, and overseas, have strived to inform the people that in no part of Islam is bloodthirstyness acceptable and the unacceptable killings of innocent people, bombings against students, mothers, Islamic clergy, soldiers ."

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